WP All Export

How to export ACPT meta fields and CCT table records with WP All Export

ACPT has a specific integration with WP All Export, letting you include meta fields — and, for Custom Content Types, table records — in any XML export you build for custom post types, taxonomies, or users.

The integration ships as a set of PHP functions you drop into a custom XML node in the WP All Export template. Each function returns a self-contained XML blob for one item (one post, one term, or one user), which the companion WP All Import integration knows how to read back in.

Step 1. Create a custom post type

This topic was covered multiple times, so please refer to other tutorials.

Suppose we create a CPT called "Movie" with just three simple meta fields:

• text

• email

• list

Ok, let's move to step 2.

Step 2. Export the meta fields

Go to WP All Export and select the Movie custom post type.

Now, select the XML custom format:

In the post loop, drag the standard fields you need (ID, title, etc...) and then create a custom XML node, the name of the node doesn't matter, and use this special PHP function:

[wpae_acpt_export_all_fields({ID})]

This function takes just the post ID as an argument, and it exports the settings and the values of every Movie meta field associated with a given ID:

Go ahead and export the XML and you are good to go for import.

If the Movie CPT has a regular CCT table attached to it (i.e. a table not using the "allow multiple records per host" setting), its column values are exported automatically as part of this same function — you don't need anything extra. Only tables using that setting need the dedicated functions below.

Exporting Taxonomy or User meta fields

If you need to export taxonomy and user meta fields, the whole process is identical, except for the name of the PHP function to use:

[wpae_acpt_export_all_tax_fields({Term_ID})]

[wpae_acpt_export_all_user_fields({User_ID})]

Again, these functions take just one argument. Use these functions in your custom XML and export them everywhere you need.

Exporting CCT table records

Custom Content Types (CCT) tables using the "allow multiple records per host" setting are managed as standalone records — each with its own numeric ID, visible in the table's Records list — rather than being folded automatically into the post's meta fields. Because of that, they are not included in wpae_acpt_export_all_fields() — export them with the dedicated functions instead:

[wpae_acpt_export_all_table_records({ID})]

[wpae_acpt_export_all_tax_table_records({Term_ID})]

[wpae_acpt_export_all_user_table_records({User_ID})]

Each function takes the post/term/user ID, looks up every CCT table attached to that item through its table group's location rules, and — for the tables using that setting — serializes their record into one XML blob.

A host (post, term, or user) can be linked to at most one record per table — the same way a post can't have two values under the same meta key. Attaching a second record to an already-linked host fails validation. If a table group has multiple record-based tables attached to the same host, each contributes its own <table> node with its own single record — that's where the "multiple" in these functions comes from.

These functions require the CCT feature to be enabled and licensed (ACPT → Settings → Content settings). If CCT is not available, they return null and the custom XML node is simply left empty — safe to drop into an export template even if some sites don't have CCT active.

Example

Suppose the Movie CPT has a table group whose location rules attach it to Movies, with two record-based tables: review (columns author, rating) and specs (columns runtime_minutes, aspect_ratio). Add this to a custom XML node:

[wpae_acpt_export_all_table_records({ID})]

For a Movie linked to one record in each table, this produces:

<acpt_table_records belongsTo="customPostType">
  <table name="review">
    <record id="12">
      <column name="author" type="scalar">Jane Doe</column>
      <column name="rating" type="scalar">5</column>
    </record>
  </table>
  <table name="specs">
    <record id="7">
      <column name="runtime_minutes" type="scalar">128</column>
      <column name="aspect_ratio" type="scalar">2.39:1</column>
    </record>
  </table>
</acpt_table_records>

JSON-shaped columns (repeater/flexible content, foreign keys with multiple targets, etc.) are marked type="json" and contain a JSON-encoded value instead of a plain scalar.

Export the XML and move on to WP All Import to read it back in.